Recently, in a recording apparatus such as an inkjet printer which is connected to a computer, higher printing speed is required as the speed of computer systems increases. Furthermore, to meet the demands for a larger amount of printing paper (recording medium), increasing the number of printing paper is realized by incorporating a paper feed cassette that accommodates a large numbers of papers in the recording apparatus. However, the use of paper feed cassette elongates the paper conveyance distance, ultimately increasing the paper feed time. To increase the recording processing speed of an inkjet printer, reduction of paper feed time is desired.
In a conventional recording apparatus, image data received from a host computer is analyzed, a command is transmitted to a mechanical controller based on the analysis, and the operation of the recording apparatus starts. In this case, a paper is first picked up from the paper feed cassette, and then the paper feed operation starts. When it is confirmed that the paper is conveyed to a recording position by the paper feed operation, a printing command is transmitted to the mechanical controller to perform recording operation. Upon completion of recording one line or one band, a paper advance command is transmitted to the controller to advance the paper for the length corresponding to the recorded portion. By repeating the above operation, image recording of the entire page is performed. After the recording operation ends, a paper discharge command is executed to discharge the recorded paper. After the paper discharge operation completes, the feed operation of the next printing sheet starts.
Recently, as the capacity of the paper feed device including a paper feed cassette enlarges, the paper conveyance distance between the start point of the paper feed operation and the recording position is elongated. For this reason, in the conventional paper feed control, it is impossible to achieve an effect of improved throughput and is difficult to realize increased recording speed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-159392).
To save the time required for paper feeding and to increase recording speed, a recording apparatus which starts feeding of a paper for the next recording operation from the paper feed cassette during the current recording operation has been developed. In this recording apparatus, the paper pickup operation (pickup a paper from a paper cassette and feed it to a recording position) and paper feed operation (paper feed of a paper being recorded and for discharge the recorded paper) paper are performed by the rotation of one motor. In a case where there are a plurality of paper feed means and the means are removable as an option, the paper pickup operation and paper feed operation may not be performed by the one motor.
In a recording apparatus capable of loading a large amount of papers, e.g., a laser beam printer, paper pickup operation for the next recording is performed during recording operation of the current paper. However, paper pickup operation is independent of the paper feed operation, and the paper feed operation is performed as a series of operation. This is because, in a large apparatus such as a laser beam printer, it is possible to construct the apparatus such that the paper pickup operation and paper feed operation are performed independently of each other. However, in a small apparatus such as an ink-jet recording apparatus, it is impossible from the aspect of cost to construct the apparatus to perform the paper pickup operation and the paper feed operation during recording operation.